Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 February 1917 — American Dog “Musher" Is Now Up With Leaders. [ARTICLE]

American Dog “Musher" Is Now Up With Leaders.

With all the five remaining cdntestants in the Winnipeg to St. Paul dog race bunched when they passed through Big Lake Friday night, it became evident that the race would be decided in eleventh hour spurts. The drivers are only 39 miles from the finish line. Fred Hartman, the American whose determination to stick to the finish under severe handicaps, has won him praise and many purses of money along the route, clung tenaciously to the other drivers. Except for Hart-manj-the drivers and their dogs were reported to be in good condition for the fifial dash, which ts expected to end at Como Park, St. Paul. Hartman was displaying signs of extreme fatigue, while hia dogs needed the utmost urging to continue. Fear was expressed by three of the drivers who have quit the race that Hartman's condition might result in his death. Breaking trail for Hartman in his run to St. Paul are two Sauk Center youths, Earl Norgen and Francis Gallagher, who volunteered for the task at St. Cloud. In order to preclude a possibility of his disqualification for technical violation of the rules, Hartman refused to let" Norgen or Gallagher touch his team.